Photo Credit: Bruce Polonsky

Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, who sang with the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979 with vocal contributions that helped define concert staples like “Playing in the Band,” “The Music Never Stopped,” and others, adding a soulful, emotive lift, has passed away. A statement announcing the singer’s passing on Sunday, November 2, was shared by Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally. 

The official announcement read: 

Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, former vocalist with the Grateful Dead, passed away surrounded by her family on November 2, 2025, at Alive Hospice in Nashville after a lengthy struggle with cancer.

She is survived by her husband David MacKay, her son Kinsman MacKay and his wife Molly, her son Zion Godchaux and his son Delta, her sister Gogi Clark, and her brother Ivan Thatcher.

Born Donna Jean Thatcher in Florence, Alabama, she became a session singer in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and sang on two #1 songs: Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds. 

Moving to California, she met and married pianist Keith Godchaux. She met the Dead’s Jerry Garcia, and introduced herself to him. Soon after, first Keith and then Donna Jean were part of the band. From 1971 to 1979 they toured America, Europe, and even Egypt.

Sometime after Keith’s passing in a car accident, she married again, to David MacKay, in 1981. Returning to Muscle Shoals, she remained active in music with the Donna Jean Godchaux Band in partnership with her bassist husband David MacKay.

She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss. The family requests privacy at this time of grieving. In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, ‘May the four winds blow her safely home.‘”

Born Donna Jean Thatcher in Florence, Ala., singing was an integral part of her adolescence. Before joining the Grateful Dead, she entered the music industry as a session singer, working in the Muscle Shoals region of the Heart of Dixie, where she scored gigs as a backup singer with Southern Comfort.

Donna Jean’s initial role led to hit songs, Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1966) and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” (1969). Her mezzo-soprano voice could also be heard on recordings by Boz Scaggs and Duane Allman (“Loan Me a Dime”), Cher (3614 Jackson Highway LP), and Neil Diamond (“Forever in Blue Jeans”). 

A move to California led the songstress to her future husband, Keith Godchaux, and the pair married in 1970. A year later, Donna Jean introduced her husband to a fellow musician, Jerry Garcia, after the famed guitarist’s performance at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner in September 1971. 

Despite a history of session work, Donna Jean was not actively working as a musician at the time of the introduction; nonetheless, along with her husband, the pair began performing with the Grateful Dead, activating an eight-year cycle that would define the band’s sound, providing back-up vocals and adding a velvet layer of femininity and strength. 

During her tenure with the band, Donna Jean accompanied the group to Europe, during their famed ‘72 tour, appearing on 21 out of the schedule’s 22 gigs. 

While a member of the Dead, Donna Jean and Keith issued a self-titled joint record in 1975, featuring instrumental backing from Garcia. The couple also swapped roles with Garcia’s self-titled project, performing with JGB and flexing their flair as a collaborative fusion. 

The Grateful Dead took a hiatus from October 1974 to June 1976, which gave Jean time to enjoy the comforts of motherhood, welcoming her son with Keith, Zion “Rock” Goddaux. Once the Dead reconvened, their dynamics flourished in a live setting, culminating in the release of their ninth studio album, Terrapin Station, in July 1977. 

During the spring tour that precluded the defining release, the group had mastered their on-stage chemistry, creating pockets for improvisation both instrumentally and, with Donna Jean involved, vocally. On May 8, 1977, the group arrived at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where they performed one of the most career-defining concerts throughout music history. 

The following year, Donna Jean and Keith were featured on the Jerry Garcia Band’s only studio LP, Cats Under the Stars. She made history with the Dead during the lauded September 15-16, 1978 performances near the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. The landmark shows were later released as the Rocking the Cradle live albums, and took the band’s continental performance count to three, after touring Europe in ‘72. 

A combination of factors led the couple to leave the Grateful Dead in February 1979. On July 23, 1980, Donna Jean’s husband, Keith, passed away after sustaining significant injuries in a car accident that occurred after the pair debuted their new Heart of Gold Band, which also included Steve Kimock, who met Greg Anton in association with the band, and later forged Zero.

Following Keith’s passing, Donna Jean returned to her Alabama hometown and married bassist David MacKay. She took a break from performing, but ultimately the stage and studio called her back when the timing was right, continuing her role in the Heart of Gold Band through the completion of their self-titled LP in 1986. 

Her own Donna Jean Band released an album titled after the band leader in 1996. A decade later, she introduced Kettle Joe’s Psychedelic Swamp Revue with Jeff Mattson (the group was later known as Donna Jean & the Tricksters). 

On occasion, Donna Jean would perform with her Dead collaborators and associated Bay Area players, such as Bob Weir & RatDog, Zero, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dark Star Orchestra, and other groups. In 1999, she took part in Phil Lesh’s April 15-17 concerts with Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, John Molo and Kimock. These shows would inform Lesh’s “And Friends” concept.

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead in 1994 and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2016. Donna Jean also took part in select stadium gigs with Dead & Company the same year, bringing reference to the original band’s ’70s era during their most modern iteration.

Donna Jean lost her battle with cancer on November 2, 2025. As a feminine force and musical fireball, she became a respected and dominant figure in the Dead community, underlining the lyrics: “Not like other girls.” 

According to the official statement, “She is survived by her husband David MacKay, her son Kinsman MacKay and his wife Molly, her son Zion Godchaux and his son Delta, her sister Gogi Clark, and her brother Ivan Thatcher.”

Watch live clips from her storied career below.